1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to baby car seats in which infants are supported when traveling in automobiles, and more particularly, to a baby car seat which includes apparatus for protecting an infant against the explosive forces of an air bag during a collision.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Since their introduction into commercial vehicles, air bags have saved hundreds of lives which might otherwise have been lost as a result of high-speed front impact collisions. Initially, such air bags were limited to driver-side air bags. Later, passenger side air bags were introduced in some models to provide the same advantages to front seat passengers. Passenger side air bags are being federally mandated for cars in 1997 and for light trucks in 1998.
Another safety device which has typically reduced injuries in motor vehicle accidents is the baby car seat which allows an infant or small child that is too small to wear a conventional lap belt and shoulder harness to be safely supported upon a conventional passenger seat. While statistics show that infants and children are safer riding in the rear seat of a vehicle, this is not always possible. In some cases, the driver of the vehicle must also be able to see or reach the child, particularly if a child is ill. In other cases, the vehicle does not include a rear seat, as is true for many pickups and sports cars. In such cases, the baby car seat usually is placed on the passenger side of the front seat.
Unfortunately, the combination of passenger side air bags and baby car seats secured to the front seat has proven to be fatal in some instances. Air bags can deploy at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour; while such air bags can safely cushion a full-sized adult, they can cause injury, and even death to an infant or small child. An infant or small child sitting in a forward-facing safety seat is positioned such that his or her head and neck are actually closer to the point of the instrument panel from which the air bag is deployed than for a full-sized adult. When an infant is riding in such a forward-facing car baby seat, an air bag expanding at such speed can snap the neck of an infant or small child positioned close to the instrument panel. Moreover, if a baby car seat is positioned so that the infant faces rearward, the explosive force of the air bag can drive the upper end of the baby car seat rearward, forcing the baby's head at rapid speed into contact with the headrest or between the seats.
As a result of such problems, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been considering regulations which require vehicle manufacturers to provide cut-out switches to deactivate air bags, a move that Ford Motor Company adopted for its 1996 Ranger pickup. Of course, the owner of the vehicle may forget to disable the passenger side air bag when an infant is present, or may forget to reactivate the passenger side air bag when an adult is occupying the front passenger seat. The NHTSA is also studying so-called "smart air bags" having complex sensors to control the speed at which such air bags are deployed; however, vehicle manufacturers may yet be years away from actually providing such devices on a commercial basis.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for reducing the risk of injury caused by a deployed passenger-side air bag to an infant or small child positioned upon the front passenger-side seat of a vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which may incorporate as a component thereof any of a large number of currently-available baby car seats.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which does not significantly complicate the process of placing the infant or small child into, or removing the infant or small child from, a conventional baby car seat.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which can be disassembled into a relatively compact state when not in use for ease in packaging and storage.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description of the present invention proceeds.